The Adoption of Hannah (a pseudonym) [2024] NSWSC 694

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: The Adoption of Hannah (a pseudonym) [2024] NSWSC 694 Hearing dates: On the papers Date of orders: 6 June 2024 Decision date: 06 June 2024 Jurisdiction: Equity - Adoptions List Before: Stevenson J Decision: Consent dispense order made Catchwords: CHILD WELFARE – adoption – consent – dispense order – where child is in specialised substitute residential care pursuant to s 8ZA Children's Guardian Act – where birth mother has given consent to adoption – where birth father has neither given consent nor progressed plans to care for child – where birth father faces barriers to full participation in decision-making process – where it is in child's best interests to be placed in adoption placement as soon as possible – whether there is serious cause for concern for child's welfare – whether birth father's continued involvement would delay the placement of the child in adoptive family – whether consent dispense order would override birth father's wishes Legislation Cited: Adoption Act 2000 (NSW) Children's Guardian Act 2019 (NSW) Cases Cited: Adoption of A [2022] NSWSC 567 Application of DOCS re C [2004] NSWSC 702 Director-General, Department of Community Services (NSW) v D [2007] NSWSC 762 Director-General, Department of Human Services; re DAM [2011] NSWSC 634 Re C and the Adoption Act 2000 (NSW) [2014] NSWSC 1007 Re Simon (No 2) [2006] NSWSC 1412 Category: Procedural rulings Parties: Principal Officer, Anglicare Community Services (trading as Anglicare) (Plaintiff) Representation: Solicitors: Plaintiff (self-represented) File Number(s): 2024/157655 Publication restriction: This judgment has been anonymised pursuant to s 180 of the Adoption Act 2000 (NSW